1 00:00:00,020 --> 00:00:02,030 Carol Cox: What do you need for a transformational 2 00:00:02,030 --> 00:00:03,050 personal brand? 3 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:04,790 That's what we're talking about on today's 4 00:00:04,790 --> 00:00:07,220 episode of the Speaking Your Brand podcast. 5 00:00:11,570 --> 00:00:14,270 More and more women are making an impact by 6 00:00:14,270 --> 00:00:17,000 starting businesses, running for office and 7 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,010 speaking up for what matters. 8 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,290 With my background as a TV political 9 00:00:21,290 --> 00:00:24,140 analyst, entrepreneur, and speaker, I 10 00:00:24,140 --> 00:00:26,570 interview and coach purpose driven women to 11 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,060 shape their brands, grow their companies, 12 00:00:29,060 --> 00:00:31,790 and become recognized as influencers in 13 00:00:31,790 --> 00:00:35,090 their field. This is speaking your brand, 14 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,610 your place to learn how to persuasively 15 00:00:37,610 --> 00:00:40,940 communicate your message to your audience. 16 00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:42,920 Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your 17 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,140 Brand podcast. I'm your host, Carol Cox. 18 00:00:45,170 --> 00:00:47,420 Today we're diving into what makes a 19 00:00:47,420 --> 00:00:49,940 transformational personal brand and the 20 00:00:49,940 --> 00:00:52,640 three key elements that go into it. 21 00:00:52,670 --> 00:00:54,950 First, if you haven't yet listened to last 22 00:00:54,950 --> 00:00:57,530 week's episode, I talked with Ashley Harvey 23 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,140 all about your brand voice, especially when 24 00:01:00,140 --> 00:01:01,480 it comes to your writing. 25 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:03,940 So it's social media, email newsletters, 26 00:01:03,940 --> 00:01:06,190 your website, sales copy and so on. 27 00:01:06,190 --> 00:01:07,630 Definitely go back and listen to that 28 00:01:07,630 --> 00:01:09,850 episode after you listen to that one, if you 29 00:01:09,850 --> 00:01:11,140 haven't already. 30 00:01:11,470 --> 00:01:13,540 Now, if you think about your personal brand, 31 00:01:13,540 --> 00:01:15,640 it's not the same as your company brand. 32 00:01:15,670 --> 00:01:18,010 Now. They could be very much intertwined and 33 00:01:18,010 --> 00:01:19,780 align with each other. Like my personal 34 00:01:19,780 --> 00:01:22,390 brand is very much intertwined with speaking 35 00:01:22,390 --> 00:01:24,100 your brand, because speaking your brand is a 36 00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:26,740 very small business, and because I am the 37 00:01:26,740 --> 00:01:28,690 face and voice of the company. 38 00:01:28,690 --> 00:01:30,910 But your personal brand is not quite the same 39 00:01:30,910 --> 00:01:32,650 thing as your company brand because your 40 00:01:32,650 --> 00:01:34,360 company brand could change. 41 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:36,910 For example, I've had different iterations 42 00:01:36,910 --> 00:01:39,460 of my career over the past 20 years. 43 00:01:39,460 --> 00:01:42,280 I had two different technology businesses 44 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,050 and then started speaking your brand about 45 00:01:44,050 --> 00:01:45,400 nine years ago, and I'll talk a little bit 46 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:47,170 more about that in just a moment. 47 00:01:47,170 --> 00:01:50,470 So your personal brand will evolve as you 48 00:01:50,470 --> 00:01:53,860 evolve and even as your career or your 49 00:01:53,860 --> 00:01:55,150 businesses change. 50 00:01:55,150 --> 00:01:57,250 So your personal brand, you can think about 51 00:01:57,250 --> 00:01:59,590 it as the collection of experiences, 52 00:01:59,620 --> 00:02:03,490 knowledge, expertise, values, points of 53 00:02:03,490 --> 00:02:06,220 view, your personality, all of that, that 54 00:02:06,220 --> 00:02:09,070 make up who you are and how you deliver your 55 00:02:09,070 --> 00:02:10,780 work or your message. 56 00:02:10,780 --> 00:02:13,660 It's also about how you show up because 57 00:02:13,660 --> 00:02:16,000 everywhere that your personal brand can be 58 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,840 seen, heard, experienced and talked about is 59 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,360 you showing up whether you're there or not, 60 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,400 because you want people to be talking about 61 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,560 you even when you're not in the room, even 62 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,390 when you're not around, you want them to 63 00:02:28,420 --> 00:02:31,570 mention you and also to refer you, whether 64 00:02:31,570 --> 00:02:34,000 it's for prospective clients or for speaking 65 00:02:34,030 --> 00:02:36,790 opportunities. I intentionally included the 66 00:02:36,790 --> 00:02:39,370 word transformational in front of personal 67 00:02:39,370 --> 00:02:42,010 brand, because I really feel like the work 68 00:02:42,010 --> 00:02:44,680 that you do when you think about who you 69 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,690 want to work with, the message you want to 70 00:02:46,690 --> 00:02:49,030 share, how you are the messenger for your 71 00:02:49,030 --> 00:02:51,310 audience, you're really transforming 72 00:02:51,310 --> 00:02:53,620 yourself as much as you're transforming the 73 00:02:53,620 --> 00:02:56,410 audiences that are hearing you or reading 74 00:02:56,410 --> 00:02:58,390 your content. If you think about what a 75 00:02:58,390 --> 00:03:00,790 transformation is, it's learning more about 76 00:03:00,790 --> 00:03:04,080 yourself and then making a change, or 77 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,120 learning more about an industry or a 78 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,370 community or society as a whole, and wanting 79 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,190 to have a positive impact to make some type 80 00:03:11,190 --> 00:03:13,290 of change. So you're doing that yourself, 81 00:03:13,290 --> 00:03:15,210 and you're also helping your audience do 82 00:03:15,210 --> 00:03:17,130 that. So you're advancing the mission that 83 00:03:17,130 --> 00:03:20,130 you have along with growing your business or 84 00:03:20,130 --> 00:03:21,690 advancing in your career. 85 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,700 I mentioned that before I started speaking 86 00:03:23,700 --> 00:03:25,770 your brand as a company in 2015. 87 00:03:25,770 --> 00:03:28,020 I had had technology businesses, so in the 88 00:03:28,020 --> 00:03:31,620 early 2000, during the.com boom, I got into 89 00:03:31,620 --> 00:03:34,410 software development and built large 90 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,480 technology systems for fortune 500 91 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,250 companies. That was one aspect of our 92 00:03:38,250 --> 00:03:39,330 technology business. 93 00:03:39,330 --> 00:03:41,820 I also had another aspect where we built 94 00:03:41,820 --> 00:03:44,400 software for political organizations and 95 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,640 candidates. So voter files, fundraising, 96 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,280 volunteer management websites and so on. 97 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,530 I've had some recent experiences just in the 98 00:03:52,530 --> 00:03:54,900 past couple of weeks that have reminded me 99 00:03:54,930 --> 00:03:58,830 how powerful a really clear and consistent 100 00:03:58,830 --> 00:04:00,690 personal brand can be. 101 00:04:00,690 --> 00:04:02,400 So I mentioned that there's three key 102 00:04:02,430 --> 00:04:04,350 elements that I wanted to share with you for 103 00:04:04,350 --> 00:04:07,020 what makes up a transformational personal 104 00:04:07,020 --> 00:04:09,660 brand. So this is what I have come up with. 105 00:04:09,690 --> 00:04:12,000 The first key element is that you want your 106 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,910 personal brand to be remembered. 107 00:04:14,940 --> 00:04:17,580 Again, you want people to talk about you, to 108 00:04:17,610 --> 00:04:21,240 refer you, to mention you when something 109 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:23,520 comes up that's related to what you do, 110 00:04:23,550 --> 00:04:24,990 that's related to either what you do in your 111 00:04:24,990 --> 00:04:27,300 business or your career, or that's related 112 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:29,580 to the overall mission that you have or 113 00:04:29,580 --> 00:04:31,740 those values that you share. 114 00:04:31,740 --> 00:04:33,300 So I want you to think about right now, who 115 00:04:33,300 --> 00:04:35,310 is someone's personal brand that is 116 00:04:35,310 --> 00:04:37,950 memorable to you, that you really like or 117 00:04:37,950 --> 00:04:40,050 that you follow? And why is it? 118 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:41,550 What is it about them? 119 00:04:41,550 --> 00:04:42,960 What is it about the kind of content that 120 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,090 they create or their personality, or how 121 00:04:45,090 --> 00:04:47,280 they show up that makes them memorable and 122 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:49,890 makes them even aspirational to you? 123 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:51,930 A couple of weeks ago, I attended a 124 00:04:51,930 --> 00:04:54,810 political fundraiser that was held on behalf 125 00:04:54,810 --> 00:04:57,090 of four women who are running for office in 126 00:04:57,090 --> 00:04:59,040 the Central Florida area where I live. 127 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,860 I'm always a big advocate of donating to 128 00:05:01,890 --> 00:05:04,100 women who are running for office, because 129 00:05:04,100 --> 00:05:06,530 women tend not to get as many donations as 130 00:05:06,530 --> 00:05:08,330 men running for office, and they tend also 131 00:05:08,330 --> 00:05:10,070 not to get institutional support. 132 00:05:10,070 --> 00:05:13,010 I always say, if you find find women in your 133 00:05:13,010 --> 00:05:14,690 local area to support whether they're 134 00:05:14,690 --> 00:05:16,370 running for Congress or school board or 135 00:05:16,370 --> 00:05:19,280 county commission and so on, and help them 136 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,760 out, whether it's a donation of $50 or $100 137 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:24,140 or more, it really does help. 138 00:05:24,140 --> 00:05:25,160 I was at this. 139 00:05:25,190 --> 00:05:28,250 I was at this fundraiser, and I was talking 140 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:29,660 to some of the candidates and some of the 141 00:05:29,660 --> 00:05:31,670 other people who were there, and one of the 142 00:05:31,670 --> 00:05:33,650 candidates went over and introduced me to 143 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,170 two men who were standing on the side. 144 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,840 And so I had my name tag on, and I introduced 145 00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:42,020 myself, and one of the guys said, oh, Carol 146 00:05:42,020 --> 00:05:43,280 Cox, I know you. 147 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:46,700 You did our website for when I was the 148 00:05:46,700 --> 00:05:48,530 chairperson of one of the Democratic parties 149 00:05:48,530 --> 00:05:49,910 in a neighboring county. 150 00:05:49,910 --> 00:05:51,050 And I was like, wow. 151 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,370 And he said his name. And as soon as he said 152 00:05:52,370 --> 00:05:53,420 his name, I recognized his name. 153 00:05:53,420 --> 00:05:56,300 I just didn't recognize him because this was 154 00:05:56,300 --> 00:06:00,530 probably 14 years ago, maybe 12 years ago, 155 00:06:00,530 --> 00:06:02,810 that I had last had an interaction with him 156 00:06:02,810 --> 00:06:05,430 when he was a client of that prior business 157 00:06:05,430 --> 00:06:07,530 that I have. And the reason he remembered me 158 00:06:07,530 --> 00:06:10,020 is not just because my company had built the 159 00:06:10,020 --> 00:06:12,540 website for the county party that he was 160 00:06:12,540 --> 00:06:14,520 running at the time, because I was such a 161 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,130 fierce advocate not only to support the 162 00:06:17,130 --> 00:06:19,080 candidates who were running for office, but 163 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,990 to make sure that they had the technology 164 00:06:21,990 --> 00:06:24,510 and the tools to make them competitive. 165 00:06:24,540 --> 00:06:26,460 The second key element to think about for 166 00:06:26,460 --> 00:06:28,920 your transformational personal brand is to 167 00:06:28,950 --> 00:06:30,420 stay relevant. 168 00:06:30,420 --> 00:06:32,160 As trends change, you want to make sure that 169 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:34,050 whatever you're talking about, whatever your 170 00:06:34,050 --> 00:06:36,840 personal brand represents and stands for, 171 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:39,630 whatever your mission is, is also reflecting 172 00:06:39,630 --> 00:06:40,650 these trends. 173 00:06:40,830 --> 00:06:42,150 Because I have this background in 174 00:06:42,150 --> 00:06:43,890 technology, and also because I want to make 175 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,020 sure that we have more women of influence 176 00:06:46,020 --> 00:06:48,120 and leadership in tech and business, 177 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:49,500 politics and so on. 178 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:52,140 When ChatGPT came out two years ago now, I 179 00:06:52,140 --> 00:06:54,090 was all over it. I want to make sure that 180 00:06:54,090 --> 00:06:56,400 women are at the decision making table and 181 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:57,630 in leadership positions. 182 00:06:57,630 --> 00:06:59,310 When we think about how AI is going to 183 00:06:59,310 --> 00:07:01,740 affect all of us, from our work to our 184 00:07:01,740 --> 00:07:03,520 education and so on. 185 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,670 So that is a trend I that I am infusing not 186 00:07:06,670 --> 00:07:08,890 only into the work we do at speaking your 187 00:07:08,890 --> 00:07:12,340 brand, but also into my personal brand. 188 00:07:12,370 --> 00:07:14,560 It could be AI for you, it could be other 189 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,120 trends that are going on, such as 190 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,210 sustainability and environmentalism related 191 00:07:19,210 --> 00:07:20,290 to climate change. 192 00:07:20,290 --> 00:07:22,450 It could be about workplace culture and say 193 00:07:22,450 --> 00:07:24,370 multiple generations that are in the 194 00:07:24,370 --> 00:07:26,920 workplace now could be about wellbeing. 195 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,230 So there are trends that kind of ebb and 196 00:07:29,230 --> 00:07:31,060 flow. For example, obviously when the 197 00:07:31,060 --> 00:07:32,740 pandemic happened, it was very much about 198 00:07:32,740 --> 00:07:34,570 remote work and then it became about hybrid 199 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,520 work. So you want to make sure that whatever 200 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,800 you're talking about, not just in your 201 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:40,630 business, but also your personal brand, so 202 00:07:40,630 --> 00:07:42,910 you're speaking engagements and so on are 203 00:07:42,910 --> 00:07:45,310 relevant. Connect to trends, connect to 204 00:07:45,340 --> 00:07:46,930 things that people are interested in. 205 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,020 Recently, I was asked to be on a panel on 206 00:07:50,020 --> 00:07:53,020 AI, and the reason is because the person who 207 00:07:53,050 --> 00:07:55,570 had asked me to be on a panel saw me do a 208 00:07:55,570 --> 00:07:57,850 virtual presentation, an online presentation 209 00:07:57,850 --> 00:08:01,090 on AI. So this is another tip is to make 210 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,850 sure to say yes and to show up whether it's 211 00:08:03,850 --> 00:08:05,680 for virtual engagements or in-person 212 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,900 engagements. The more that you say yes and 213 00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:10,030 show up, the more and more people will see 214 00:08:10,030 --> 00:08:11,530 what you're doing, and then you'll get asked 215 00:08:11,530 --> 00:08:13,840 for other speaking opportunities, other 216 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,060 panels, media opportunities, and so on. 217 00:08:16,060 --> 00:08:17,410 So I went to the event where I was going to 218 00:08:17,410 --> 00:08:19,990 be on this panel, and I saw there someone 219 00:08:19,990 --> 00:08:23,050 who I have known for the past 20 years, but 220 00:08:23,050 --> 00:08:25,480 I haven't seen in person, or maybe at least 221 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:26,530 ten years ago. 222 00:08:26,530 --> 00:08:28,240 Back 20 years ago, he owned a video 223 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,060 production company, and I was one of his 224 00:08:31,060 --> 00:08:33,190 first clients for some videos and 225 00:08:33,190 --> 00:08:35,500 commercials that we made at the time. 226 00:08:35,530 --> 00:08:38,110 And so not only did he remember me, and I 227 00:08:38,110 --> 00:08:39,790 remember him because he also has a personal 228 00:08:39,790 --> 00:08:42,340 brand that's very memorable as well, but he 229 00:08:42,370 --> 00:08:44,410 is staying relevant with I, which is why he 230 00:08:44,410 --> 00:08:45,490 was asked to serve on this panel. 231 00:08:45,490 --> 00:08:47,470 And I also am staying relevant with AI, 232 00:08:47,500 --> 00:08:49,810 which is why I was being asked to serve on 233 00:08:49,810 --> 00:08:52,030 this panel. So that's the second key element 234 00:08:52,030 --> 00:08:54,760 is make sure that your personal brand is 235 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,790 relevant. The third key element for your 236 00:08:57,790 --> 00:09:00,370 transformational personal brand is 237 00:09:00,370 --> 00:09:03,340 relational. Make sure that you're building 238 00:09:03,340 --> 00:09:05,430 your network, not just online. 239 00:09:05,430 --> 00:09:07,530 I know it's easy to just be on LinkedIn and 240 00:09:07,530 --> 00:09:09,570 just to post things and connect with people, 241 00:09:09,570 --> 00:09:12,270 but really build your network offline as 242 00:09:12,270 --> 00:09:15,660 well. Show up at meetings, at groups. 243 00:09:15,690 --> 00:09:17,460 Go to conferences, whether the local 244 00:09:17,460 --> 00:09:19,620 conferences or industry conferences. 245 00:09:19,620 --> 00:09:21,360 The more that you show up, the more that 246 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:22,500 you're building your network. 247 00:09:22,530 --> 00:09:24,150 You're building those relationships. 248 00:09:24,150 --> 00:09:27,090 Relationships that I've had now for 20 249 00:09:27,090 --> 00:09:29,340 years, as long as I've been in this 250 00:09:29,340 --> 00:09:31,710 community here. And I see now people that 251 00:09:31,710 --> 00:09:34,260 I've known for so long and they remember me 252 00:09:34,260 --> 00:09:36,480 because of this strong personal brand that I 253 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,210 have, because my mission has always been so 254 00:09:39,210 --> 00:09:41,370 clear and because I've always shown up so 255 00:09:41,370 --> 00:09:44,250 consistently. For example, on election 256 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:46,320 night, which is just a day after this 257 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,170 episode airs, I will be back on the TV news 258 00:09:49,170 --> 00:09:50,730 commenting on the election. 259 00:09:50,730 --> 00:09:53,190 This will be the fifth presidential election 260 00:09:53,190 --> 00:09:55,860 that I've done this for, starting in 2008, 261 00:09:55,860 --> 00:09:58,560 all the way through now into 2024. 262 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:00,120 And the reason that I'm invited back on the 263 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,880 TV news is because of the relationships that 264 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,340 I built, relationships that I built with the 265 00:10:05,340 --> 00:10:07,170 news directors and the reporters at 266 00:10:07,170 --> 00:10:09,510 different stations, but also with my fellow 267 00:10:09,510 --> 00:10:12,330 political commentators who also recommend 268 00:10:12,330 --> 00:10:14,670 me, and I recommend them as well. 269 00:10:14,670 --> 00:10:16,470 So the three key elements for your 270 00:10:16,470 --> 00:10:18,870 transformational personal brand is that you 271 00:10:18,870 --> 00:10:21,660 want to be remembered, relevant and 272 00:10:21,660 --> 00:10:23,220 relational. Okay. 273 00:10:23,250 --> 00:10:24,870 So now I'm going to give you some very 274 00:10:24,870 --> 00:10:27,390 tactical, practical things that you do. 275 00:10:27,420 --> 00:10:30,300 I've created a free workbook that goes along 276 00:10:30,300 --> 00:10:32,280 with this episode with some of the things 277 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:33,600 that I'm about to share with you now, so 278 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:35,520 that you can actually work on them, and you 279 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,680 can get that free workbook at speaking your 280 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:40,530 brand.com/personal brand. 281 00:10:40,530 --> 00:10:42,450 So altogether speaking your 282 00:10:42,450 --> 00:10:46,590 brand.com/personal brand, the link is also 283 00:10:46,590 --> 00:10:48,480 in the show notes. So here's how to actually 284 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,220 think about doing this to make sure that 285 00:10:50,220 --> 00:10:52,440 your personal brand is remembered, relevant 286 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:53,460 and relational. 287 00:10:53,490 --> 00:10:56,700 The first thing is that you want to map out 288 00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:58,800 the spokes of your personal brand. 289 00:10:58,830 --> 00:11:00,480 You are a multi-dimensional. 290 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:02,040 I'm sure you have different interests. 291 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:03,630 Maybe you've had very different things that 292 00:11:03,630 --> 00:11:06,140 you've done in your career like I have, and 293 00:11:06,140 --> 00:11:08,120 your personal brand is not just about your 294 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:09,860 expertise or about what you do in your 295 00:11:09,860 --> 00:11:11,420 business or your career. 296 00:11:11,420 --> 00:11:13,910 It's also about the things that interest 297 00:11:13,940 --> 00:11:16,010 you, the conversations that you want to be a 298 00:11:16,010 --> 00:11:18,920 part of. For example, the spokes of my 299 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,950 personal brand include things like speaking 300 00:11:21,950 --> 00:11:24,830 and marketing. They also include history, 301 00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:28,400 feminism, politics and tech and AI. 302 00:11:28,430 --> 00:11:30,350 So at first glance, you may think, okay, 303 00:11:30,380 --> 00:11:32,120 well, I kind of get how marketing speaking 304 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:33,680 going together and I get how history and 305 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:34,760 feminism go together. 306 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:35,810 But what about politics? 307 00:11:35,810 --> 00:11:37,880 That seems like an outlier in tech, and I 308 00:11:37,910 --> 00:11:40,160 definitely seems like an outlier. 309 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,710 But this is what makes me multi-dimensional. 310 00:11:42,710 --> 00:11:44,720 This is what makes me interesting, and this 311 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:46,880 is also what keeps me relevant. 312 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,490 So how I connect these different spokes. 313 00:11:49,490 --> 00:11:52,130 The connecting thread that I find is that 314 00:11:52,130 --> 00:11:54,230 I'm always looking for the women in the 315 00:11:54,230 --> 00:11:56,210 stories or their absence. 316 00:11:56,210 --> 00:11:57,950 This is why I studied history, because I 317 00:11:57,950 --> 00:11:59,990 wanted to find out what women were doing, 318 00:11:59,990 --> 00:12:04,400 whether it was in 1850 or 1900 or 1940. 319 00:12:04,430 --> 00:12:05,870 I wanted to know what were they doing and 320 00:12:05,870 --> 00:12:07,700 why weren't they in my history books? 321 00:12:07,730 --> 00:12:09,650 I also want to make sure that women have a 322 00:12:09,650 --> 00:12:11,630 voice in decision making, in leadership, in 323 00:12:11,630 --> 00:12:13,910 all of these different areas, and that I 324 00:12:13,910 --> 00:12:16,070 also recognize the importance of 325 00:12:16,070 --> 00:12:18,680 communication and advocacy in advancing 326 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,050 gender equality. I'm a big believer that 327 00:12:21,050 --> 00:12:24,410 more women who have a public voice, who are 328 00:12:24,410 --> 00:12:26,900 speaking on stages and in the media, that 329 00:12:26,900 --> 00:12:28,970 that is a way to advance gender equality. 330 00:12:28,970 --> 00:12:31,250 So you can see now then, how all of those 331 00:12:31,250 --> 00:12:33,140 different spokes connect much more. 332 00:12:33,170 --> 00:12:35,840 Again, you can get the worksheets that I'm 333 00:12:35,870 --> 00:12:37,940 talking about here in that free workbook as 334 00:12:37,940 --> 00:12:39,950 speaking your Brand.com slash personal 335 00:12:39,980 --> 00:12:42,140 brand. So that's the first thing is to 336 00:12:42,170 --> 00:12:44,210 define the spokes of your personal brand. 337 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:46,070 The second thing is to lead with your 338 00:12:46,070 --> 00:12:49,100 mission and values, and you want to define 339 00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:51,740 what your brand voice is, because your brand 340 00:12:51,740 --> 00:12:53,810 voice is not just your tone and your 341 00:12:53,810 --> 00:12:55,460 personality. It is that. 342 00:12:55,460 --> 00:12:56,840 But it's more than that. 343 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,260 It's also your mission, your expertise, your 344 00:13:00,260 --> 00:13:02,780 methodology, and your experiences. 345 00:13:02,780 --> 00:13:04,880 And I have this brand voice canvas framework 346 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:06,250 that I created last year. 347 00:13:06,250 --> 00:13:08,380 And in that workbook you can fill that out. 348 00:13:08,380 --> 00:13:10,480 So for example, under the Brand Voice 349 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,120 canvas, for me under mission I have my 350 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,370 mission is to amplify and champions women's 351 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,200 voices and stories to have more women 352 00:13:17,290 --> 00:13:20,470 influence in key positions in different 353 00:13:20,470 --> 00:13:23,170 industries. My expertise is public speaking, 354 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,330 thought leadership, personal branding, my 355 00:13:25,330 --> 00:13:26,710 methodology. I have these different 356 00:13:26,710 --> 00:13:28,150 frameworks that I've created, whether it's 357 00:13:28,150 --> 00:13:30,160 the brand voice, canvas, signature Talk 358 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,010 canvas, Escaping the Expert Trap, and so on. 359 00:13:33,010 --> 00:13:35,920 And then experiences are the stories that I 360 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:37,990 share. So I share about speaking successes 361 00:13:37,990 --> 00:13:39,970 and failures. The three stages women go 362 00:13:39,970 --> 00:13:41,950 through when we use our voice, and so on. 363 00:13:41,950 --> 00:13:44,290 So you can fill out the brand voice canvas 364 00:13:44,290 --> 00:13:45,970 and see my example. 365 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,550 The third thing is to think about what your 366 00:13:48,550 --> 00:13:50,260 brand story is. 367 00:13:50,260 --> 00:13:52,270 So what is it that you stand for? 368 00:13:52,270 --> 00:13:54,010 What is your unique viewpoint and 369 00:13:54,010 --> 00:13:55,990 perspective for your industry or for the 370 00:13:55,990 --> 00:13:57,040 work that you do? 371 00:13:57,070 --> 00:13:58,720 What do you do or believe that's different 372 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:00,370 or challenges the status quo? 373 00:14:00,370 --> 00:14:02,500 And what are those hard won lessons that 374 00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:04,270 you've learned that you can share with 375 00:14:04,270 --> 00:14:07,000 others? These questions are in that workbook 376 00:14:07,030 --> 00:14:09,010 as speaking your brand.com slash personal 377 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,080 brand. So I want you to think about how do 378 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:12,730 you want your personal brand to be 379 00:14:12,730 --> 00:14:16,180 remembered, relevant and relational. 380 00:14:16,180 --> 00:14:18,580 And this work can be hard to do on your own 381 00:14:18,580 --> 00:14:20,980 because you're so close to your own content 382 00:14:20,980 --> 00:14:22,870 and to yourself because you're in your own 383 00:14:22,870 --> 00:14:26,500 head. And also I often see is that we second 384 00:14:26,500 --> 00:14:28,780 guess ourselves. We want to put something 385 00:14:28,780 --> 00:14:32,320 out that's bold or maybe counterintuitive or 386 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,050 challenges the status quo, but then we back 387 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:37,540 down. Plus, it's really helpful to have 388 00:14:37,540 --> 00:14:40,540 others to be a mirror and a sounding board, 389 00:14:40,540 --> 00:14:42,670 and to have a coach to ask you the right 390 00:14:42,670 --> 00:14:44,680 questions and to help you to see the bigger 391 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:47,530 picture and the connecting threads. 392 00:14:47,860 --> 00:14:50,080 We do this in our online program called the 393 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:51,100 Thought Leader Academy. 394 00:14:51,130 --> 00:14:53,560 We work with you both one on one and in a 395 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,200 small group on zoom, because this is online 396 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,540 on zoom. You can join us at any time. 397 00:14:58,540 --> 00:15:00,490 You can get all of those details as speaking 398 00:15:00,490 --> 00:15:03,070 your Brand.com slash academy. 399 00:15:03,070 --> 00:15:06,100 And we have something very special coming up 400 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:09,960 in the summer of 2025, we're hosting a four 401 00:15:09,990 --> 00:15:13,560 day in-person retreat in London, England, 402 00:15:13,590 --> 00:15:16,320 that is designed to help you develop a brand 403 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,010 that's authentically you powerful, magnetic 404 00:15:20,010 --> 00:15:21,900 and transformational. 405 00:15:21,930 --> 00:15:23,760 You're going to have workshops and 406 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:25,410 activities. You're going to have one on one 407 00:15:25,410 --> 00:15:28,050 coaching with us, feedback, practice 408 00:15:28,050 --> 00:15:30,510 sessions. We're going to help you to really 409 00:15:30,510 --> 00:15:32,970 develop your brand, your personal brand, but 410 00:15:32,970 --> 00:15:34,950 also intertwine with your company brand if 411 00:15:34,950 --> 00:15:36,360 you do have your own business. 412 00:15:36,390 --> 00:15:38,700 All around our bold framework and you're 413 00:15:38,700 --> 00:15:41,550 going to leave not only with your brand and 414 00:15:41,550 --> 00:15:43,980 your brand voice defined, but also creating 415 00:15:43,980 --> 00:15:46,950 brand assets that set you apart and draw in 416 00:15:46,950 --> 00:15:49,110 those opportunities that you're looking for. 417 00:15:49,110 --> 00:15:51,210 And of course, we're in London, so we're not 418 00:15:51,210 --> 00:15:53,670 just going to stay inside and do workshops. 419 00:15:53,670 --> 00:15:55,020 We're going to go see a play at 420 00:15:55,020 --> 00:15:57,030 Shakespeare's Globe, we're going to do a 421 00:15:57,030 --> 00:15:59,640 women's history walking tour and so much 422 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,370 more. The retreat is limited to 12 women, so 423 00:16:02,370 --> 00:16:03,660 it's nice and intimate. 424 00:16:03,660 --> 00:16:05,730 You're going to have an incredible time not 425 00:16:05,730 --> 00:16:08,160 only working with me, with Diane and with 426 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:09,960 Ashley Harvey, who was on the podcast last 427 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:11,730 week. So go back and listen to that. 428 00:16:11,730 --> 00:16:14,760 But also meeting incredible women leaders 429 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,100 just like you, who want to elevate their 430 00:16:17,100 --> 00:16:19,650 impact. The dates of this four day retreat 431 00:16:19,650 --> 00:16:24,360 are June 20th 9th to July 2nd, 2025. 432 00:16:24,390 --> 00:16:26,970 You can get all the details as speaking your 433 00:16:26,970 --> 00:16:29,940 Brand.com slash London again that's speaking 434 00:16:29,940 --> 00:16:32,130 your brand.com/london. 435 00:16:32,130 --> 00:16:33,990 You can fill out the application and then 436 00:16:33,990 --> 00:16:35,310 schedule. We're going to schedule a zoom 437 00:16:35,310 --> 00:16:36,630 call so we can talk. 438 00:16:36,630 --> 00:16:38,730 I can find out more about your goals and 439 00:16:38,730 --> 00:16:41,190 answer all the questions that you have. 440 00:16:41,190 --> 00:16:43,440 I want you to have a transformational 441 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,840 personal brand, because I know that there 442 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,690 are incredible things you want to do in the 443 00:16:48,690 --> 00:16:51,570 world, and having a brand that's remembered, 444 00:16:51,570 --> 00:16:54,570 relevant and relational is a way that that's 445 00:16:54,570 --> 00:16:57,150 going to happen. Until next time, thanks for 446 00:16:57,150 --> 00:16:57,840 listening.